King tides hit IB

Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune

Imperial Beach Special Events Coordinator Courtney Stephens, left, and Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina, center, get hit by waves that crashed over the berm at the south end of Seacoast Drive, causing flooding, the result of powerful waves and King tides.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography scientists at the Center for Coastal Studies used a LiDAR laser scanner, a remote sensing technology which uses the pulse from a laser to collect measurements which can then be used to create 3D models and maps of objects and environments. It was used to map and measure the ocean waves in Imperial Beach that cause flooding during the King tides.

King tides and powerful waves brought flooding to Imperial Beach January 18, 2019. Scientists from the Center for Coastal Studies at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography were also there as part of their effort to predict flooding events associated with climate change and sea-level rise.